^ donut shop in the area ? bad joke.These 2 evil folks cause grief and terror with little planning. Who knows what would have happened if the other brother lived and they continued in the stolen SUV. Did police speak to the owner? The death of the MIT security person, not in vain if it caused the brothers to be outed .

I'm really curious as to what I would do if I was in this guy's position. I know for a fact that I would have my weapons near me at all times if I was in Watertown. Wonder what the ramifications would be of putting a .308 round in his dome piece from my attic?

I'm really curious as to what I would do if I was in this guy's position. I know for a fact that I would have my weapons near me at all times if I was in Watertown. Wonder what the ramifications would be of putting a .308 round in his dome piece from my attic?

That's actually an interesting (and fascinating) question. A trained shooter could have easily taken out both of those guys quickly, and completely ended the standoff right there. To be honest, I'm not sure how you would be treated. Instinctively, I think you would be treated as a hero, but that's a great question.

Idoit40fans wrote:I bet everyone thinks you're a hero and you still go to prison.

This is my thought. It would be up to a jury to decide whether or not I was acting in self defense. I would guess they would say I was, however do I have the right to use lethal force with regards to something going on outside of my house, in a public roadway? Maybe if the guy was on my lawn it'd be easier to determine. I know for a fact I could take at least one of them out. I mean, I have hit moving deer at 200 yards away just standing in a field. Adrenaline might make it worse though, or just the fact that you're about to kill another human being.

slappybrown wrote:I don't think you get prosecuted, and worst case, if you do and are convicted, presidential pardon.

Yeah, I definitely don't see you facing any punishment for it. I would imagine you would probably get a hero's welcome, perhaps even a medal for bringing the perps down before they could hurt more police officers/people.

Although, with where the shootout took place (one of the most liberal enclaves in the country), it's doubtful anyone had guns to even use against them along that street.

Idoit40fans wrote:I bet everyone thinks you're a hero and you still go to prison.

This is my thought. It would be up to a jury to decide whether or not I was acting in self defense. I would guess they would say I was, however do I have the right to use lethal force with regards to something going on outside of my house, in a public roadway?

I was actually listening to an NPR podcast last night on the way home and was thinking exactly about this scenario; if I was the dude taking those pics and I had a gun, would I have opened fire? Obviously can't say for sure, but you can bet your damn skippy that I would like to think I would have.

Not sure about the specifics of MA law, but the instant they chucked a freaking bomb down the street, all previously conceived notions of what constituted a 'direct threat' to my safety would, imo, be immediately neutered and rendered obsolete.

In many states, the same principles for the use of lethal force for self-defense also apply to using lethal force for the defense of another. For example, under 18 Pa.C.S. § 506 you can use lethal force against someone attacking another person whenever that person would be justified in using lethal force himself or herself. So you should theoretically be justified in shooting someone who is engaged in a shootout with the police, as the police certainly would be justified in the use of lethal force under those circumstances.

On thing is for certain, you would want to get away from the window as quickly as possible if they turned their attention to you, or the police considered you as an equal threat for shooting from a window.

Then oh well I guess. I doubt they would know that the gun blast came from the Window. Not bragging but I think I could have taken them both out with one shot if I was patient enough. I'm not trained but I have hit deer that were at 200 yards in a dead out run through a field.

ExPatriatePen wrote:LOL, my first thought is what would the police do if they saw muzzle flashes coming from your window.

After you shoot, it might get interesting for you.

Ha, shows what you know about sniping.....

Windows aren't ideal, of course (cos they're obvious), but you don't stick the gun out the window, you stay back in the room as far as you can and still have line-of-sight to the target. Preferably, this would all the way against the wall opposite the shoot window. Doing this also narrows the field of view of anyone attempting to identify your location. Given the situation - noise, confusion, etc - you might even be able to get off two or three shots without alerting the cops that fire is coming from a house.

Then oh well I guess. I doubt they would know that the gun blast came from the Window. Not bragging but I think I could have taken them both out with one shot if I was patient enough. I'm not trained but I have hit deer that were at 200 yards in a dead out run through a field.

Oh well, unless the bullet hits someone in a house in the background.

If you nailed them you'd be a hero though, and most likely face no repurcussions.